Michael Cohen, the star witness of the monument New York v. Trump casereceived star treatment from the mainstream media following his testimony Monday.
Cohen, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer and intermediary before becoming his nemesis, has seen his credibility questioned from all sides, with critics calling him from “serial perjurer” to “conman.”
The former lawyer, who plays a central role in the prosecution’s case against Trump, said he secretly recorded Trump before the 2016 election, admitted to lying and intimidating people for Trump’s benefit, and detailed the alleged attempt to cover up an alleged affair with Trump. starring adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“It shows how weak this case is because they are literally depending on a serial perjurer to make their case. So I don’t think things are going well for prosecution in court. In court “Public opinion, they” “It’s even worse,” Marc Thiessen said on Monday. Fox News.
MICHAEL COHEN’S CREDIBILITY ISSUES AND EFFORT USE OF TIKTOK RAISES MEDIA EYEBROWS AHEAD OF TESTIMONY
Michael Cohen is questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger during the criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump, accused of falsifying business records to hide money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, before Manhattan State Court in New York, United States on May 13, 2024. in this courtroom sketch. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Media and pundits historically hostile to Trump have had the difficult task of making Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations, false statements to Congress and tax evasion, as credible.
Some nevertheless tried their luck.
MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos appeared to downplay Cohen’s credibility issues by focusing on the “misconception” that direct evidence is more powerful than circumstantial evidence.
“Direct evidence is someone saying they saw or heard something, and that can be unreliable. Eyewitness testimony is unreliable, Michael Cohen can be unreliable, but circumstantial evidence, documents, don’t lie,” Cevallos said.
“The prosecution’s view here has obviously been that by the time Michael Cohen testifies, all the other documents will mitigate his perceived (unreliability),” Cevallos said as Andrea Mitchell explained the rest of her thinking.
Longtime trial consultant J. Lee Meihls joined MSNBC to share his thoughts on Cohen’s testimony. It turned out she was a big fan.
Meihls told MSNBC viewers that Cohen was “calm,” “answered direct questions with direct answers,” was not emotional and was not “too personal.”
“He knows how important he is as a witness,” Meihls said.
MICHAEL COHEN TESTIFIES THAT HE SECRETLY RECORDED TRUMP BEFORE 2016 ELECTION
Michael Cohen is questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger during the criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump, accused of falsifying business records to hide money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, before Manhattan State Court in New York, United States on May 13, 2024. in this courtroom sketch. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
MSNBC analyst Tim O’Brien also praised Cohen’s performance later on the network.
“There are a lot of weak people in Trump’s world who pretend to be tough. Michael Cohen is a genuinely tough guy. And I think on the stand today he showed enormous discipline .I thought he was a great witness for the prosecution. He kept his cool,” O’Brien said.
The case revolves around an alleged falsification of commercial documents. Prosecutors say Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to silence her allegations about the alleged extramarital sexual relationship with Trump. Prosecutors say the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently recorded the payments as legal fees, and are working to prove that Trump falsified the records with the intent to commit or cover up a second crime.
Trump pleaded not guilty in the case.
CNN aired footage of Cohen praising Trump in 2016, noting that it was a common occurrence when he was on the former president’s payroll.
“The question is this,” asked senior legal analyst Elie Honig, after the video. “Is the jury going to agree with this narrative that, ‘Well, when he turned around, he made a clean break, and now he’s telling the truth?'”
The answer is unclear, but CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams told viewers that prosecutors “carefully” asked questions in the context of evidence previously presented during the trial.
“There are credibility issues, memory issues and all of the above, and they’re trying to make his testimony as airtight as possible,” Williams said.
Reporters complimented Cohen’s testimony while acknowledging its credibility issues. (Getty Images)
Despite this, some CNN correspondents and guests spoke optimistically about Cohen. Legal correspondent Paula Reid called the testimony “credible”, while fellow correspondent Kara Scanell described it as “measured”, “deliberate” and “controlled”.
CNN’s Tom Foreman also reported: “The fact is that the cornerstone of Cohen’s testimony has always been that he lied, that he committed crimes and that he went to prison for it, where he also said he did something else: he learned to tell the truth about Donald Trump. »
MICHAEL AVENATTI SAYS NY C. TRUMP CASE IS “VERY UNFAIR”: “SERIAL KILLERS” ARE NOT PURSUED LIKE THIS
Other commentators made remarks about Trump himself, saying he was visibly affected by his testimony.
“He left the courtroom and didn’t mention his name. But he was a very angry Donald Trump leaving the courthouse. There were some days where he was more blasé or all “I just left the palace. But this one was clearly frustrating, and I think the problem is that there’s mutual frustration,” described NBC reporter Vaughn Hillyard.
CNN’s Jake Tapper also suggested that Trump was “angrier than ever,” with former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi noting that, even if they don’t know what the jury sees, Trump’s facial expressions will have meaning. ‘importance.
“I don’t think he’s stone-faced,” Rossi said.
Trump appeared “angry” to some reporters and commentators after Cohen’s testimony. (Photo by SETH WENIG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Republicans rushed to Trump’s defense.
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who was seen in court with Trump on Monday, responded to Cohen’s testimony on X, where he balked at Cohen admitting to secretly recording Trump.
“Michael Cohen admits he secretly recorded his employer. That’s totally normal, right? The best part is he said he only did it once and only to Trump’s benefit. A guy standing!” he posted.
Vance, alongside other Republicans like Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, held a brief news conference Monday regarding the trial, during which Vance continued his condemnation of Cohen’s testimony.
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Cohen is expected to testify again Tuesday morning.
David Rutz, Emma Colton, Michael Lee and Brooke Singman of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
